Workers’ Comp for On-the-Road Jobs

Workers’ compensation seems pretty cut and dry — it’s insurance coverage that protects your business and your employees in the event someone experiences an on-the-job injury. However, things can get complicated when an employee is hurt outside of work. For example, if an employee experiences an off-property auto accident while on the job will they be covered by workers’ comp? That depends. Was the activity within the course and scope of the employee’s job duties? If so, then most likely workers’ comp will cover the expenses related to that incident. But in other situations, it may not.

Let’s go over what risks employees who travel while working may experience and how workers’ compensation benefits apply to on-the-road jobs.

What Are Considered On-The-Road Jobs?

When discussing workers’ comp for on-the-road jobs, there are different kinds of industries and jobs to consider. Trucking or transportation jobs may come to mind initially, however, it’s important to remember that those industries usually have their own regulations and require insurance providers who will cover those kinds of high-risk industries. Not all insurers do.

Then there are jobs in other non-transportation industries that may partially or fully take place on the road. For example, there are contractors who drive to different job sites or IT businesses that have employees who travel to and from different clients throughout the day. There are many reasons why a business might need to make sure their workers’ comp insurance covers an accident while driving for work.

What Risks Due Traveling Employees Face?

If your employees travel at all as a part of their job responsibilities, it’s essential that you understand how and when your workers’ comp coverage covers them because there are many risks that on-the-road employees face. If an employee is hurt outside of work in a work-related accident, they could face emergency and long-term medical care needs, an extended time of being unable to work, and more. If an employee is hurt outside of work, like in an auto accident while on the job, they could be facing a ton of unexpected expenses that your business might end up having to cover. In addition, without proper workers’ comp coverage, your business is at risk of experiencing a work injury-related lawsuit.

What Does Workers’ Comp Cover and Not Cover For Traveling Employees?

Clearly, it’s important to have workers’ comp insurance coverage. But it’s equally as important to understand what is and is not covered when it comes to traveling employees. Like all workplace accidents and illnesses, it’s necessary that the incident happened as a direct result of the employee’s job and responsibilities in order to get coverage. Situations that would likely warrant coverage for traveling employees include:

• Injuries that occur on business trips.
• Accidents that occur while employees are traveling between job sites or clients.
• Injuries that occur while an employee is running a work-related errand at the request of their employer.

If an employee sustains an injury while traveling for work it usually doesn’t matter who is at fault for the accident. Workers’ comp claims are usually considered “no-fault”, meaning that even if the employee caused the accident, they should still receive their benefits. Times when workers’ comp coverage usually is not offered is when the employee was doing something that violated their workplace’s policies or was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the accident.

How Can Cerity Help?

Cerity is here for business owners of all kinds, including those who have employees that are on the road during their job. If your business is in need of workers’ compensation insurance to protect employees who travel frequently, we’re here to streamline the insurance process that we understand can seem complicated. We knew that there had to be a better way to do workers’ comp. That’s why we created a new way to get workers’ comp coverage online — without phone calls or a tedious process.

With Cerity’s faster, more affordable approach to workers’ compensation, you can get the coverage you need for on-the-road employees quickly and easily. Simply go to our free online quote tool. Tell us a little bit about your business to get an affordable rate, and you can buy a policy online in minutes to cover you for the year ahead.